


To Love and Be Loved

by sunshineprinceki (amaxingbaek)



Series: KiHo Bingo (2017) [3]
Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, KiHo Bingo, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-22
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2018-12-05 10:46:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 20,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11576493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amaxingbaek/pseuds/sunshineprinceki
Summary: Hoseok and Kihyun go through their memories together and Kihyun falls in love over and over again.





	1. Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> **Title:** To Love and Be Loved  
>  **Pairing(s):** Hoseok/Kihyun  
>  **Rating:** PG-13  
>  **Word count:** ~20.3k  
>  **Warning(s):** Tooth rotting fluff  
>  **Author’s Note:**  
>  Me: This fic can’t possibly be fluffier than the last one  
> Also me: lol watch this
> 
> Please don’t throw rocks at me for making their debut date their anniversary lol. It was too cute of a thought not to. Also, if there’s one sun emoticon, that means that the following paragraphs are flashbacks and then the paragraphs after two of the sun emoticons are the present day. Hopefully it isn’t too confusing T___T
> 
> This was supposed to be short...and now it’s a monster
> 
> Written for the “domestic” square of Kiho bingo!

Kihyun is slightly exhausted and very stressed out.

From getting up this morning, to going to work for too many hours, and to shopping for the last and final part of his anniversary gift, Kihyun has had a long day. It was unfortunate that he had to work that day, and he would have taken it off if they didn’t have such an important project deadline coming up. Hoseok had understood – but, Kihyun thinks fondly, Hoseok always understands – and had smiled the prettiest smile when he told Kihyun that morning that he would be waiting for Kihyun at home and sent him off with a kiss.

“Why is this line always so long?” Kihyun grumbles to himself as he stands in line at the bakery. It’s Hoseok’s favorite bakery, but it’s also always ridiculously busy. Even though Kihyun had ordered in advance, he really should have just picked his order up during his lunch break or something. It would have been even better if Kihyun could have picked it up a few days ago, but it’s always hard to hide things from Hoseok, especially when it comes to food. It isn’t that Hoseok snoops around – they trust each other too much for that – but they only have one fridge, so it’s not like Kihyun could have hidden the cupcakes anywhere anyways.

Kihyun finally gets to the front of the line seven painstakingly slow minutes later. Kihyun just wants to be home curled up on the sofa with Hoseok as they eat these cupcakes and watch a movie that neither of them will pay attention to. It seems like every single time they try and watch a movie, one of them gets distracted, then kisses are involved, and then everything goes to hell. Kihyun doesn’t mind though, loves the warmth that Hoseok exudes physically and emotionally. It never feels wrong to be with Hoseok and Kihyun always thinks that he’s the luckiest person on the planet to be able to love Hoseok, then feels even luckier because Hoseok loves him back.

It takes a while to pay and drive home, but Kihyun _finally_ makes it home, box of cupcakes in hand.

The house is deceptively silent when Kihyun opens the door. Part of Kihyun had been expecting there to be some slow song playing. Kihyun smiles when he remembers three anniversaries ago when Hoseok had swept him off his feet – literally – and then twirled them around in what was supposed to be a dance, but just ended up dissolving into them laughing and kissing as they stood in the middle of the living room in their shitty apartment.

This at least gives Kihyun the chance to sneak the cupcakes into the fridge since Hoseok still hasn’t come out from wherever he is. But just as Kihyun passes the living room, he does a double take, laughing incredulously when he sees Hoseok standing by what used to be their three-piece sectional. It’s currently covered in strategically layered pillows and blankets, some of which Kihyun hasn’t seen in years, but all Kihyun can focus on is the way that Hoseok is beaming at him so brightly. Kihyun will never get tired of seeing Hoseok smile; it’s one of Kihyun’s favorite things in the entire world.

“We aren’t in high school anymore,” Kihyun says by way of greeting.

Hoseok huffs, smile dropping into a frown. “Just because we’ve graduated from college and are working adults now doesn’t mean that we still can’t be kids sometimes.”

Kihyun walks over, a soft smile on his face. When he reaches Hoseok, he leans up for a kiss that Hoseok easily meets him halfway for. He pulls back and says, “I didn’t say that I didn’t like it. You’re so cute.”

“That’s my line!” Hoseok says, a little indignant, but all Kihyun can do is laugh fondly at the way Hoseok’s cheeks turn light pink at the compliment.

“Now you know how it feels,” Kihyun teases. “Should we go in, then?”

“Wait!” Hoseok exclaims when Kihyun moves towards the opening that has a little red paper heart taped above it. Slightly confused, Kihyun can only look at Hoseok, wondering what it could possibly be. “I, uh, have a change of clothes for you here, so you don’t have to stay in your work clothes anymore.”

Kihyun feels his chest expanding with adoration. He really doesn’t deserve Hoseok.

He kisses Hoseok again, this time slightly longer than the last, and hopes that Hoseok can understand how grateful he is through it. “I love you,” Kihyun says, and there’s Kihyun’s favorite smile again.

“I love you, too,” Hoseok replies with eyes that twinkle like the stars.

“Are you just going to stand there and watch me?” Kihyun asks once he trades the box of cupcakes for the change of clothes. It’s meant to be a joke, but with the way Hoseok is staring at him intently, Kihyun isn’t very sure that it has been taken as one.

Hoseok nods, eyes not leaving Kihyun’s and Kihyun tries not to flush at the sudden change in the atmosphere. They’ve seen each other naked plenty of times, so there’s no reason to be self-conscious, but Kihyun can still feel the tips of his ears burn as he strips his shirt and pants off. Maybe it’s because Hoseok is looking at him like he wants to hold him and never let him go, or maybe it’s because Hoseok is also looking at him like he wants to ravish every part of him. Either way, Kihyun finishes quickly, feeling infinitely better in his white cotton shirt and favorite soft grey shorts.

The new atmosphere suddenly dissolves when Hoseok hands Kihyun something else and Kihyun laughs when he figures out what it is. “You just looked like you wanted to jump me and now you’re smiling sweetly as you hold this beanie out. I don’t trust you,” Kihyun teases. When he goes to take the beanie, though, Hoseok snatches his hand back and out of reach, causing Kihyun to look at him in confusion. He’s met with Hoseok’s eyes twinkling again (but to be fair, Kihyun thinks Hoseok’s eyes are _always_ twinkling, just with different emotions).

“Let me do it,” Hoseok says.

Kihyun almost rolls his eyes, but his endearment wins out and he can only smile softly with a nod. Hoseok hands the box back and then steps close, so close that Kihyun can see the way his eyelashes brush the tops of his cheeks when he blinks. Hoseok brushes his fringe back slightly and Kihyun closes his eyes with a soft sigh at the feeling of Hoseok running fingers through his hair before placing the beanie securely on his head. He startles slightly when Hoseok presses a kiss to his forehead, and follows Hoseok for a real kiss when he pulls back.

Hoseok laughs. “You’re so affectionate today.”

This time, Kihyun doesn’t stop from rolling his eyes. “Just because I don’t show it as much as you do, doesn’t mean I’m not affectionate. Besides, I think I’m allowed to be cheesy today.”

Hoseok’s eyes are so beautiful, so open, so full of love, when they meet Kihyun’s. His lips curl up into a pretty smile and Kihyun swears that he just fell in love all over again. Hoseok isn’t even doing anything special, but he’s always been extraordinary to Kihyun.

“You can be cheesy everyday, I wouldn’t mind.”

Kihyun can’t help but snort. “No thanks, I’ll leave that up to you.”

Hoseok shrugs, not bothered in the slightest, but the pretty smile is still on his face. “You like it when I shower you with affection.”

Kihyun pretends to think about it with a hum, and he must pretend for too long, for Hoseok squawks in protest when Kihyun doesn’t say anything. He laughs, so in love with Hoseok. “I’m kidding, of course I do. And as much as I would love to keep standing here and complimenting you, you took the time to build this blanket fort, so we should use it, shouldn’t we?”

Hoseok lights up once again and he’s so bright and beautiful that Kihyun feels like he’s staring at the stars. “Okay! Do you want me to hold the box for you while you climb in?”

Kihyun shakes his head, a small smirk pulling at the corners of his lips. “You’re going to crawl in first. You just stared at my butt while I changed, so now I get to stare at your butt while you crawl through.”

Hoseok sputters and it causes Kihyun to laugh. “It’s only fair,” Kihyun teases, satisfied when Hoseok doesn’t protest further, simply squats down so he can get to his hands and knees and starts crawling through.

True to his word, Kihyun does admire Hoseok’s butt as much as he can between making sure the box of cupcakes isn’t ruined and making sure he doesn’t hit anything. It isn’t a long journey, but all Kihyun can remember is how nice Hoseok’s butt and thighs look in his snug black sweatpants.

The fort is actually arranged quite nicely, now that Kihyun takes the time to look at it when Hoseok plops down in the large area he left so they could sit against the couch. It clearly took a lot of effort, even though it doesn’t look like much. Kihyun knows just how frustrating it can get building a blanket fort (he tried it once when he was younger and vowed to never attempt such a terrible thing again) but this one looks good, better than Kihyun could ever do.

“I know it isn’t much,” Hoseok mumbles once they’ve maneuvered and found a comfortable position. “I just thought it would be kind of fun.”

Kihyun kisses Hoseok’s cheek. “It’s really cute and I like it. I’m sure that it was hard, but I really appreciate you taking the time to do this.”

Hoseok flushes and Kihyun coos in response as he settles down more comfortably, wiggling a little against the pillow he’s leaning on. Kihyun wasn’t even aware they had this many blankets and pillows, but he’s glad they do.

Hoseok is always so warm, like Kihyun’s personal little sun. Kihyun presses closer instinctively, smile twitching the corners of his lips up when Hoseok nuzzles against his temple and curls an arm around Kihyun’s shoulders.

“Do you want to eat these cupcakes now?” Kihyun asks after they sit there for a few seconds, gesturing to the box on the ground by his thigh. It’s always peaceful being with Hoseok and he’s sure that they could just sit there and snuggle and Kihyun would still be perfectly happy.

“Ah,” Hoseok starts. He clears his throat and Kihyun already misses his warmth when he retracts his arm from around Kihyun’s shoulders. “Actually, I have something else for you.”

“You do?” Kihyun wonders, shocked. It’s not that he’s surprised that Hoseok has something else for him (Hoseok always goes all out during holidays or birthdays or anniversaries in order to show his love), but it’s that Hoseok looks so _nervous_. He can’t meet Kihyun’s gaze and he wrings his hands together, something he only does when he’s worried about something.

“Yeah,” Hoseok whispers. He glances at Kihyun for a split second and Kihyun barely has time to smile reassuringly before Hoseok is turning and plucking something out from behind strategically placed pillows.

Kihyun can’t help but gasp when Hoseok holds it out. His hand lingers in the air, wanting to touch but scared that he will do something to mess it up.

The book in Hoseok’s hands is thick, the cover a pretty pastel blue that is a beautiful contrast to the letters written in cursive under the tiny square that houses a picture of the both of them that Hoseok had taken last week. They had been at Hoseok’s house for dinner with his parents and Hoseok had demanded that they take a picture while they looked so nice. Kihyun had been confused since he was pretty sure they didn’t really dress up for the occasion, but went along with it anyways. Hoseok has always had a propensity to take pictures of them, so it hadn’t been too weird for him to ask.

Kihyun smiles as he runs a thumb over the picture before running an even gentler finger over the cursive underneath.

_May 14, 2015 - Forever_

Kihyun blinks, refusing to start crying over this. It’s just so _beautiful_ and Kihyun hasn’t even opened the book yet.

“It’s beautiful,” Kihyun whispers. Hoseok is gentle as he hands Kihyun the book and he kind of just stares at it for a while, so overwhelmed at the fact that Hoseok took the time to make a scrapbook for him, for _them_.

“You haven’t even opened it yet,” Hoseok teases. Kihyun huffs and looks up with a pout that has Hoseok immediately lifting his hands up in surrender. “Just pointing it out, love.”

“Just for that, maybe I won’t open it,” Kihyun sniffs. But he can’t stop looking at the cover, at how happy they look as they smile at the camera, heads pressed so closely together they might as well be one person.

Kihyun takes a deep breath, stopping just as he reaches for the cover to look up at Hoseok. It looks like he has stars in his eyes, and when he sees Kihyun looking at him, he smiles. Kihyun has always felt loved when Hoseok is around and now is no exception.

“I love you,” Kihyun says, hopes that Hoseok can hear how sincere, how in love, he is.

It’s like breathing, so easy and simple for Hoseok to say, “I love you, too. So much.”

Kihyun turns back towards the book then, in fear that he’s going to get trapped in Hoseok’s eyes and Hoseok’s everything if he looks any longer.

The first page is a letter dated a few days back. It’s long, fills up the whole page with Hoseok’s tinier than usual scrawl, and Kihyun is sure it’s incredibly heartfelt, but he doesn’t want to cry right now, which he tells Hoseok. He laughs slightly in response, but nods when Kihyun promises that he’ll read it later.

He turns the page before he’s tempted to read the letter and feels a lump get caught in his throat at the sight of the selca they took in front of the poster of the movie they had seen for their first date. They look so _young_ in this picture, their cheeks so much chubbier than they currently are. Logically, Kihyun knows that it hasn’t been more than six years since this picture was taken, but he still can’t help but be in disbelief over how small they used to be in college.

“We look like babies,” Kihyun manages to get out.

Hoseok bursts out laughing. “That’s what you think of when you see this picture?”

“Look at how much fuller our cheeks used to be!” Kihyun cries. It’s even easier to tell since they’re smiling so brightly that their cheeks puff up.

Kihyun remembers that day so clearly, but it’s honestly a little hard to forget.

☀

Kihyun is a little cold, blowing hot air onto his hands as he waits outside the movie theater. He has been standing here for a good couple of minutes now, but he really has no one to blame but himself for showing up _fifteen_ minutes earlier than he’s supposed to be here. He can’t help it, though. He has been thinking about this day for longer than he would like to admit, and now that it’s finally here, and after spending a painstakingly long amount of time getting ready (while Minhyuk sat there and watched him suffer, offering no helpful advice on what to wear whatsoever), Kihyun had been ready earlier than he thought. It had been torture, sitting in his apartment and watching the clock, so even though Kihyun knew he didn’t have to leave for another twenty minutes, he had left his apartment anyways.

Which leads to now, Kihyun huddled under the overhang of the movie theater that Hoseok had asked to meet at. Kihyun has half a mind to wait inside, but he isn’t sure that Hoseok would actually go inside and look for him if he didn’t see him standing outside. He doesn’t want Hoseok to be waiting outside in this weather waiting for Kihyun while Kihyun waits for him in the warm, cozy lobby of the theater.

It occurs to Kihyun then that he could just _text_ Hoseok that he’s waiting inside and then he would know.

“Stupid,” Kihyun mutters to himself as he tries and picks his phone out of his back pocket. His jeans are clinging to the device and his fingers are on the way to being frozen, but Kihyun manages well enough. Typing, on the other hand, is a whole different story, Kihyun’s poor fingers stiff and protesting from the cold.

Kihyun has only managed to type out a few words when there’s a call of his name.

When he looks up, Kihyun almost feels like he’s in a movie instead of waiting outside to see one. There’s almost a glow to Hoseok as he jogs over the last few steps to reach Kihyun. He’s wearing tight jeans that could rival Kihyun’s own dark wash pair and Kihyun zooms in on the way Hoseok’s thighs look wrapped up in the tight denim. He’s sure he’s drooling a little, so in order to look a little less creepy, Kihyun looks up, but that’s a mistake, too, since all he sees is Hoseok’s chest straining against the fabric of his simple black shirt. The sleeves of his red leather jacket look a little less tight, but they still manage to show off just how large Hoseok’s arms are.

The zippers on the left flap of Hoseok’s jacket kind of bounce with every step Hoseok takes and Kihyun is honestly not going to make it out of this night alive if he’s this affected by _zippers_. To be fair, those zippers are right over Hoseok’s left pectoral, which only draws more attention to both his left arm and his chest.

Kihyun is so incredibly screwed.

“Were you waiting long?”

Kihyun blinks, brain working quickly to try and decipher the question, but all he’s honestly thinking about is how he would very much like to be much closer to Hoseok, maybe see if his chest is as firm as it looks.

“Nope,” Kihyun manages to squeak, cursing himself for letting his thoughts get this far ahead. This is their first date for God’s sake, and he likes Hoseok for much more than his body. Of course he’s always noticed how good-looking Hoseok is – he would have to be blind not to – but for some reason, the fact that Hoseok is _here_ with _him_ on a _date_ is just so unreal to Kihyun.

Hoseok is smiling, the light from the street lamp behind him bathing him in an otherworldly glow. This is the first time thus far that Kihyun has seen Hoseok’s face, but he’s blinded by Hoseok’s beauty as usual, drawn in like a firefly to the light in Hoseok’s eyes. Kihyun is sure he’s slightly delirious from all of this sensory overload at this point, but he swears that Hoseok is an angel in a human’s body.

“Good,” Hoseok says, and then in the next second, he takes Kihyun’s hand, fingers curling tight and seemingly without the intent of letting go. Kihyun’s heart beats against his chest in a quick one-two-three beat and it’s in this moment that he really, truly thinks that he’s screwed. He’s already in this deep and they haven’t even known each other for more than six months at this point.

Hoseok gasps. “Your hand is freezing!”

His hand squeezes Kihyun’s even tighter and all he can do is stutter out a, “It’s okay, my hands get cold easily. I’ll be fine once we get inside.”

Hoseok doesn’t let go of his hand, all but tugging him towards the doors so they can get inside faster. Kihyun thinks that it’s probably more than a little concerning how Hoseok is able to break down his walls so quickly and turn him into such a mess. He isn’t usually this nervous, nor is he this susceptible to cute guys, but Hoseok...Hoseok is really turning out to be a good kind of different.

“Why didn’t you bring a jacket?” Hoseok wonders with the cutest pout Kihyun has ever seen as they stand in line to get snacks.

Kihyun averts his gaze down towards where he’s picking at the edge of his black cardigan. “I thought this would be enough.”

The loss of heat from Hoseok taking his hand away is sudden and Kihyun looks up, startled to see Hoseok pulling his jacket off.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to-” he starts, but gets cut off, mesmerized by the way Hoseok’s arms and chest flex as he easily takes the jacket off and hangs it around Kihyun’s shoulders.

Kihyun’s brain stutters to a stop before kicking into overdrive along with his heart. “It’s really okay,” Kihyun says as he starts to shrug the jacket off, but Hoseok shakes his head.

“I don’t get cold very easily, so I’ll be fine. I have a long sleeve on anyways.”

Kihyun has half a mind to retort that his cardigan is probably thicker than Hoseok’s long sleeve, but then a traitorous part of his brain zeroes in on Hoseok’s scent on the jacket and how nice it smells. And to be honest, Kihyun isn’t about to pass up an opportunity to wear Hoseok’s clothes – he has always been a sucker for sharing clothes.

The sleeves are just a bit long on him, the edge of the sleeves settling across his knuckles like an old friend, but it’s warm and comfortable.

Hoseok takes his hand again, his fingers curling around Kihyun’s wrist before slipping down and easily filling the spaces between Kihyun’s fingers. Kihyun swears that Hoseok can feel how erratically his pulse is beating, and it only gets worse when he looks up and sees Hoseok looking at him intently.

There’s something in Hoseok’s eyes, a kind of intensity that Kihyun has never seen before. He gets lost in the gaze, in how Hoseok makes him feel. A distant part of his brain reminds him that this is only the first date, but Kihyun hopes that it won’t be their last, hopes that he isn’t the only one who already feels this way.

The moment is gone as soon as Hoseok smiles, his eyes curving up in the cutest little crescents that could almost put Kihyun’s eye smile to shame.

“Let’s get our tickets now.”

Hoseok doesn’t let go of his hand once after that or during the movie, a semi-permanent presence that Kihyun is already somewhat used to from how often they hang out. It makes eating the popcorn a little difficult, since Kihyun has to reach other himself to reach the bucket, but Hoseok has to do the same thing and if they look dumb, at least they look dumb together.

Twenty minutes into the movie, Kihyun can honestly say that he has no idea what’s going on.

After texting back and forth for days, they had finally decided on watching a romantic comedy. Hoseok had been adamant about not watching horror or something sad, which hadn’t left very many options, but they had both agreed on this one. The good thing about romantic comedies is that they’re light and easy to follow, but the bad thing is that it’s always a fifty-fifty chance that it will be done well, and Kihyun is starting to think that this particular one wasn’t done very well. There have been some funny one-liners, but nothing has really stood out yet.

Another twenty minutes later and Kihyun still feels the same, except he’s finally found something that has stood out. It’s dark in the theater, but Kihyun can still make out Hoseok’s side profile. He has admired Hoseok silently for a while now, but now he’s free to look all he wants and not feel as ashamed about it. Kihyun isn’t blind – Hoseok is gorgeous and anyone can see that. There’s just something different about sitting here next to Hoseok with their hands intertwined and listening to Hoseok’s happy guffaw every time someone says something funny. It’s different than simply sitting across from Hoseok in the library as they try to study and keep to their own space or from when Kihyun finds himself in Hoseok’s apartment playing a video game that Hoseok absolutely crushes him at.

Hoseok laughs again, his eyes curving up and mouth dropping open to let out the loudest laugh yet and Kihyun is already so incredibly endeared. He has no idea what was just said, but if it makes Hoseok this happy, then he likes whatever it is.

Kihyun tries to pay attention after that, but it’s hard when there’s someone like Hoseok sitting next to you, holding your hand, hands meeting in the popcorn bucket every so often.

As they’re leaving, Hoseok is wiping tears from his eyes from all of his laughter. Their hands are still clasped and Kihyun is already dreading the moment they’re going to have to let go.

“That was so funny,” Hoseok says around a few last chuckles.

Kihyun really wishes that he had paid more attention, but he feels bad thinking about how devastated Hoseok will be if Kihyun tells him that he wasn’t a fan of it. So Kihyun simply nods, smiling when Hoseok beams at him.

Hoseok’s eyes light up at something and he pauses, which causes Kihyun to stop as well. He looks a little shy as he stands there, a soft hint of red on his cheeks, and Kihyun can barely stop another smile from forming.

“Would it be weird if I asked you to take a picture together? Like commemoration,” Hoseok says in a rush.

Laughing softly and completely endeared, Kihyun says, “Sure, but only if you send it to me later.”

Hoseok smiles so brightly that Kihyun feels a little blinded and he absently wonders if he will get to see Hoseok smile like this for a long time.

They shuffle in front of the poster for the movie that they just watched. Hoseok fumbles with his phone, running a hand through his hair as he looks in his camera while Kihyun watches in amusement. There’s quite a large gap between them considering they’re on a date, and Kihyun loves the flush that spreads to Hoseok’s cheeks when he shuffles closer and gets as close to Hoseok as possible. Kihyun holds up a peace sign and stares into the camera, their bright, smiling faces staring back at him as Hoseok takes a few pictures.

“We look cute,” Kihyun murmurs, his chin positioned on top of Hoseok’s shoulder as he looks through the pictures with Hoseok. He has to tip-toe a bit since Hoseok is taller than him, but it isn’t much.

From this close, Kihyun can feel the way Hoseok is trembling, and he only understands why when he sees how red Hoseok’s fingers are.

Kihyun backs away and lightly whacks Hoseok on the arm. “You liar! You do get cold easily!”

Half of Hoseok looks startled while the other half looks sheepish. Kihyun scowls at him as he takes the jacket off and he would have personally put it back on Hoseok if not for Hoseok frantically saying that he can do it himself.

“You should have told me,” Kihyun says, softer now that Hoseok has his jacket back on and looks less cold.

Hoseok smiles, closed-lipped and eyes twinkling. “It’s okay, I would rather be cold than let you be cold.”

Against his wishes, Kihyun feels his cheeks heat up and covers it up by turning and walking towards the exit. Hoseok’s laugh is still just as beautiful as it has been for the last two hours as he runs and catches up to Kihyun, lacing their fingers together.

☀☀

To this day, Kihyun doesn’t have the heart to tell Hoseok that he wasn’t really paying attention to the movie. It’s okay, though, because once they had started dating, Hoseok had demanded that they get that movie on DVD.

“For sentimental reasons,” Hoseok had explained. Kihyun hadn’t been able to say no and they’ve watched it so many times now that it doesn’t matter that Kihyun wasn’t paying attention the first time around.

“You looked really good in my jacket,” Hoseok mumbles. His cheeks are adorably flushed like they always are when Hoseok admits to something he deems embarrassing, but Kihyun loves it.

Kihyun also loves teasing Hoseok about it. “Maybe I should put it on later. I know exactly where it is in the closest.”

Hoseok stutters, his cheeks turning the most adorable shade of red. “I’m still convinced that you didn’t bring a jacket on purpose.”

It’s obvious that Hoseok is trying to change the subject, and Kihyun lets him if only because he’s planning on wearing that jacket later and that will be enough teasing to make up for the lack of more teasing now.

Kihyun whacks Hoseok on the arm. “For the millionth time, I didn’t think it was going to be that cold! Or that I would get there that early,” Kihyun mumbles. It’s a lie, because he distinctly remembers thinking that he was going to be way too early when he left, but Hoseok doesn’t need to know that.

Hoseok is looking at him like he doesn’t believe him, but considering his cheeks are still a little flushed, the look doesn’t really have its full effect.

Kihyun ignores the look, turning back towards the book in his lap and tracing over the cute heart-patterned washi tape holding the picture to the page. They look so happy in this picture, faces a muted yellow from the crappy movie theater lighting. Kihyun hadn’t realized it when they were taking the picture, but Kihyun notices the way their eyes are twinkling, cheeks lightly flushed. The outline of Hoseok’s chest is prominent through his tight black long sleeve and Kihyun looks tiny and cozy in Hoseok’s jacket. It kind of seems like another life. They’ve been together for so long that it’s weird to think that this was a little less than six years ago, when Hoseok was only a friend and there was a possibility that he would never be more than that, when Hoseok wasn’t the love of his life.

“Did you know,” Kihyun says, looking up and towards Hoseok, “that I was already falling in love with you from that first date?”

Hoseok gasps, eyes widening in wonder and surprise, and it’s honestly the cutest expression Kihyun has ever seen.

“Really?” Hoseok whispers.

Instead of answering, Kihyun kisses Hoseok, the press of their lips soft and gentle. It’s probably one of the sweetest kisses they’ve ever shared, and Kihyun’s heart starts speeding up with love.

Kihyun pulls away just barely so that their lips are still brushing when he replies, “Yeah.”

Kihyun has seen Hoseok wake up for years now, has practically memorized the way Hoseok’s eyes press tighter before fluttering open, but he still feels a little breathless when it happens and Kihyun is witness to seeing Hoseok’s eyes light up with love every time.

“You didn’t read the line on the bottom,” Hoseok says. Kihyun is still a little winded from the kiss and being this close to Hoseok, and there’s a part of him that wonders when he’ll ever stop being so breathless because of Shin Hoseok.

Probably never, he thinks, as he turns curious eyes back to the page and reads what Hoseok has written.

_This wasn’t the first time you’ve made me happy, but it was the first time that I could really show you how much._

“I left space under all of the captions I wrote on each of the pages so you could add something, too. If you want to.”

“I want to,” Kihyun responds right away. “This is our book, not just mine. And I want to let you know how much I love you and how happy you’ve made me, too.” Kihyun smiles up at Hoseok. “It’s kind of funny, because I remember thinking the same thing that day. I’ve always thought you were handsome and being friends with you showed me that you could make me happy, but I always had to hide it away in fear of making it weird. Until that day.”

“I keep underestimating how much you understand me,” Hoseok muses. Kihyun laughs, leaning onto Hoseok’s shoulder.

“Seems like I have as well.”

Hoseok links their fingers as Kihyun turns the next page. He’s met with another picture of them from college. This one has Hoseok smiling just as brightly as he always does, with a fork of food lifted halfway to his mouth and Kihyun looking startled with puffy cheeks, hands full with a burrito.

☀

The campus is pretty dead as Kihyun walks down the pathway. The sun hasn’t completely set yet, setting up an orange glow as Kihyun continues on his way. He’s just happy that the library is close to their food court so the food won’t be that cold by the time he arrives given the drop in weather lately.

Finals week is always so grueling and Kihyun had needed a break before he went insane. His brain is protesting from all of the pages of notes he has read thus far, all of the information swirling together and becoming one big incomprehensible blob. Kihyun has been in school long enough to know when his brain is telling him it needs a break and luckily for him, it had been around dinner time when his brain had given up.

There’s a stark difference between the outside of the library and the inside, too many bodies packed into the first floor, causing the temperature to rise almost exponentially. Kihyun’s nose wrinkles. This is why he doesn’t like coming in here in the weeks leading up to finals or during finals – it’s hot and smells like body odor with a very large overhang of stress lingering in the air.

It’s easy weaving through the tables and towards the familiar study room that Hoseok always books during finals week. Kihyun is so thankful that Hoseok is smart enough to think ahead and book a room, but then again, Hoseok has always been easily distracted and Kihyun knows that studying out in the floor would do him more harm than good.

Hoseok’s back is towards the window that is facing outside the room, but Kihyun doesn’t need to see his face to know that it’s Hoseok.

Kihyun knocks on the door when he finally reaches it, but doesn’t wait for a response before he’s opening it.

“Kihyunnie!” Hoseok exclaims, surprise written all over his features like an open book.

Smiling, Kihyun holds up the bag of food in his hands and asks, “Do you want to take a break?”

“Please,” Hoseok groans. He stretches, his hoodie lifting up with the movement. Kihyun tries not to stare, he really does, but he’s weak and ends up looking anyways, always drawn in by Hoseok.

“Let me just move this stuff over,” Hoseok says, breaking Kihyun out of his daze. He’s lucky that Hoseok didn’t notice this time, because whenever he catches Kihyun staring, he becomes too smug for Kihyun’s liking.

Kihyun plops down in the seat once Hoseok has made space for him and Hoseok greets him with a kiss.

“You’re the best, you know that?” Hoseok asks.

Kihyun blushes and busies himself with getting the food out of the bag to distract himself from how hot his cheeks are. “I’m really not. I just knew that you would be hungry and I needed a break.”

“The best,” Hoseok sing-songs before kissing Kihyun’s cheek. It only causes his blush to deepen and he curses Hoseok for making him behave this way.

“Thank you for the food!” Hoseok says right before he starts eating like a man starved. Kihyun can’t help but laugh and shake his head fondly, but he’s happy that he can do this for Hoseok. He knows that Hoseok wouldn’t really eat otherwise, too caught up in studying to even think about eating or taking a break. Hoseok always tells him that he worries too much, but Kihyun always counters by saying that it _is_ worrying when Hoseok forgets to eat.

Hoseok sighs contently around his first bite and that’s all that Kihyun needs to hear before he opens up his burrito and starts eating.

“Did I get the right thing?” Kihyun wonders. Hoseok is always trying new things and they don’t usually go to the same place that often, but Kihyun had tried his best to remember what Hoseok had ordered the previous time.

Hoseok smiles. “You did, but it doesn’t matter what you get. Just knowing that you thought of me and bought food for me is more than enough.”

Kihyun can’t help the embarrassed noise he makes and ignores Hoseok’s laugh in favor of taking a few more bites out of his burrito.

“Hey, Kihyunnie,” Hoseok calls. Kihyun looks up just in time to hear the shutter of a camera clicking and he almost chokes on the bites he just took as he lunges for the phone.

Hoseok shrieks, scrambling to keep his phone protected and away from Kihyun. “It’s a cute picture!” Hoseok says, but that doesn’t stop Kihyun from trying and taking his phone so he can delete said picture. He doubts it’s cute at all, considering how he just took multiple large bites right before Hoseok called him. He probably looks like an oversized hamster and that isn’t cute by any means.

“Then show me,” Kihyun says sweetly once he has swallowed his food and is no longer in danger of choking.

Hoseok promptly throws his phone in his backpack, and then wraps his arms around Kihyun’s waist before Kihyun can even think about climbing over him and towards the backpack that is just out of his reach.

“No, Kihyunnie,” Hoseok says. “I know you’re just going to delete it.”

Kihyun only groans, slumping down as the fight drains out of him. Hoseok already has so many embarrassing pictures of Kihyun on his phone that Hoseok swears are super cute. Kihyun really doesn’t believe him, but considering they’re still on Hoseok’s phone, deep down Kihyun doesn’t really mind as much as he tries and proclaims he does.

It seems that Hoseok knows that as well, since he’s beaming at Kihyun. He kisses Kihyun on the nose and then the lips when Kihyun makes a noise of complaint.

Kihyun sighs into it, energy drained out of him as he relaxes into Hoseok’s warm hold.

“You’re lucky I like you so much,” Kihyun murmurs. Hoseok simply laughs and kisses Kihyun again and Kihyun figures that if this is what results from him letting Hoseok win, then he doesn’t really mind if he keeps that picture.

They talk about their day, Hoseok whining about all of the notes he still has to go over and Kihyun cooing at him, assuring him that he’s so incredibly smart and will be fine.

Kihyun ends up staying to study with Hoseok, lured in by Hoseok’s puppy dog eyes and promises that he’ll be good and won’t bother Kihyun at all. And so far, he has stuck to his word, diligently going over his notes, but even when Hoseok isn’t actively trying to be distracting, he’s still distracting to Kihyun.

He hadn’t noticed it until he was in Hoseok’s lap earlier on his quest to delete the picture, and had forgotten about it once they started talking, but Kihyun can’t stop staring at Hoseok. He’s bundled up in an oversized white hoodie and incredibly tiny shorts that have Kihyun going crazy. He can still remember the marks he left on Hoseok’s thighs weeks prior, the red so pretty again his pale skin, framed by the tattoo spanning his left thigh. The marks aren’t there anymore, but all Kihyun is thinking of is when finals are over, he’s going to have to leave some more.

“Did you need something?”

Kihyun blinks and is met with Hoseok looking at him, head slightly tilted to the side. Oh, he needs something alright, but it isn’t something that he can have right this moment.

So Kihyun smiles, hoping it doesn’t look as strained as it feels, and says, “No, I’m good.”

It’s going to be a long few hours ahead of him.

☀☀

“And here I had hoped that you didn’t have this picture anymore,” Kihyun sighs.

“I have every picture I’ve ever taken of you and of us together, don’t worry.”

Kihyun doesn’t need to look up to see the smirk on Hoseok’s face; he can hear it clear as day.

“I would say I’m surprised, but I’m really not.” Especially if Hoseok has made this scrapbook. It’s pretty thick and from the quick glance Kihyun took at the side of the book, there’s a good amount of pages in it. The first two have already been so pretty and nicely decorated, Kihyun can’t even begin to imagine how long this took Hoseok to put together.

“It’s a good thing I did,” Hoseok says, “or else I wouldn’t have been able to make this.”

Kihyun smiles at that. No matter how embarrassing these pictures are, they’re memories of their life together, made tangible by pictures and put into this scrapbook to commemorate it forever.

“It’s a good thing you did,” Kihyun easily agrees. He feels Hoseok press a kiss against his temple through the beanie and his smile grows.

It only falters when he reads the caption, which he groans at.

“Hoseok, why would you caption it like this?”

“It’s a cute caption for a cute picture!” Hoseok replies.

Kihyun groans again. “‘My cute hamster’ with a heart after it just makes the picture all the more embarrassing. How come you look so cute and smiley and then I look like I just stuffed my face?”

“It’s cute,” Hoseok insists. “It’s a very nice candid shot, and I promise that there are some other pictures in here where I look dumb, too.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it,” Kihyun responds with a little huff. But he already knows exactly what he’s going to caption this one as; he wonders if he can coerce Hoseok into sending him this picture so he can print it out and draw bunny ears and whiskers on Hoseok and stick it on this page.

☀

The music is so loud that Kihyun feels like his head is going to split in half. It isn’t even a good song, just another one of those top twenty hits that he hears at least three times a day, and that’s if he’s lucky.

“I’m going to get some air!” he yells at Minhyuk, who gives him a thumbs up and then promptly dances his way back into the cluster of dancing bodies in the living room.

He snags a water bottle from the fridge, praying that the bottles in there don’t have anything else mixed into them. The bottle is still sealed tight when he opens it, so Kihyun figures that he’s probably safe. Considering that he’s driving Minhyuk home, they both better hope that it’s really just water.

Surprisingly, there isn’t anyone else outside in the backyard. Kihyun is met with almost silence once he closes the door behind him, the only noise being the muted thumping of the music coming from inside. He takes a deep breath in before letting it out, feeling better already. Parties have never really been his thing, but Minhyuk had pleaded and begged until Kihyun had given in. He’s only really here to make sure that Minhyuk makes it home safely, and although he should probably put in some effort to enjoy himself, Kihyun has never been a fan of drunkenly grinding against some stranger that he won’t even remember the next day. Even grinding against a stranger while sober doesn’t sound appealing, and so here he is, bottle of water in hand and pilfered wifi ready to be used on his phone.

He scrolls through his social media and then watches stories from his friends on Snapchat, not at all surprised to see that a lot of them are from the party he’s currently at, but decidedly not participating in. It’s a little amusing to see how the videos start off well and then get progressively more blurry and less controlled as he watches through stories. He can only laugh when Minhyuk’s latest one is just a few seconds of the ceiling.

“What is a cutie like you doing out here all alone?”

Kihyun jumps, startled and ready to tell this person off for making such a fuckboy comment towards him, when the other person squats down next to Kihyun and he finds that it’s just Hoseok.

He doesn’t hesitate to push Hoseok over, laughing when Hoseok falls flat on his ass while sputtering.

“That’s what you get! What kind of comment was that?” Kihyun asks through his laughter.

Hoseok pouts as he straightens up and scoots towards Kihyun. He’s warm when he presses against Kihyun’s side and unlike usual, Kihyun doesn’t feel like scooting away from the touch. It’s a nice warmth, unlike the one that had been pressing down onto Kihyun from all sides the moment he stepped into the house.

“I thought it would be funny, but I guess it wasn’t since now my butt hurts from being so rudely pushed over.”

Snickering, Kihyun only says, “You were asking for it.”

“I was not,” Hoseok whines. He’s still pouting and Kihyun has an urge to bop him on the nose, but he doesn’t because that would be weird. They’ve only known each other for a little more than two months, and even though they talk pretty often, Kihyun doesn’t think they’re close enough for that kind of thing yet.

“You sounded like a stereotypical frat boy and I’ve dealt with enough of those to know that I don’t really want to deal with them,” Kihyun replies easily. He does, however, place a hand over Hoseok’s to soothe him, assure him that he really didn’t mean that much harm.

Hoseok raises an eyebrow. “You’re popular among frat boys, then?”

Kihyun laughs, but it’s not unkindly, more amused than anything. “I think everyone is popular among frat boys if you give them enough alcohol.”

Humming, Hoseok flips his hand over so he can better hold Kihyun’s hand. “Well I think you’re cute and I’m definitely one hundred percent sober.”

Kihyun pushes Hoseok again, but Hoseok doesn’t budge as much this time, only clings tighter to Kihyun’s hand, causing Kihyun to fall forward from the momentum. He gasps, not expecting the sudden movement, and finds himself practically face to face with Hoseok.

“Sorry,” Kihyun says, stunned. Neither of them move, and neither of them say anything, stuck in their own little bubble.

The moment is over when Hoseok smiles and Kihyun quickly backs away, hand slipping out from Hoseok’s grasp.

“Sorry,” Hoseok apologizes. “I didn’t mean to pull you in like that.”

It’s dark out and Kihyun really, really hopes that it’s dark enough that Hoseok can’t see how red his cheeks are because he knows they’re blazing right now. He’s sure that Hoseok was joking and just saying it to get a rise out of Kihyun, but he still can’t help but think that, for once, hearing that he’s cute wasn’t so bad.

Kihyun clears his throat. “It’s okay, it was an accident.”

Hoseok doesn’t say anything for a while, so Kihyun looks over to see Hoseok staring right at him. He blinks, slightly self conscious and unused to being the center of attention like this, especially considering Hoseok is sober and not looking at him like he wants to scoop him up and bring him to the nearest bed. Not that Kihyun ever lets them get that far, but it’s different, being on the receiving end of this kind of stare. Kihyun doesn’t want to assume, but it kind of looks like the same way he had caught Hoseok staring at him just last week as they were hanging out in Hyungwon’s apartment. He looks intrigued, slightly wistful, but Kihyun can’t imagine why he would look like that.

“Yeah,” Hoseok agrees, beats too late to be considered normal, but Kihyun doesn’t mention it.

☀☀

Kihyun still remembers this day so clearly, but he’s confused as to why it’s placed here instead of before the previous pictures. If Hoseok is going chronologically, then this should have been first, but Hoseok always does things with a purpose, and if he has put this picture here, then it must go here. Kihyun makes a mental note to ask Hoseok about it later, but pushes it back in favor of looking at the picture again.

Despite the slightly blurry quality and the lack of proper lighting, there’s no doubt that this is them, but it definitely wasn’t taken by either of them. It looks like it was taken from the door that led outside, since the two of them are in the middle of the picture. Kihyun’s lips are slightly parted as he stares at Hoseok, their faces much closer than Kihyun remembers them being. It hadn’t seemed that close back then, but maybe Kihyun doesn’t remember that day as clearly as he thinks he does. Or maybe, his traitorous brain supplies, he was just too stunned by being almost nose-to-nose with Hoseok that he hadn’t been able to focus on anything else but breathing properly.

Hoseok seems to be glowing in the picture, his black hair contrasting with his white knit sweater, oversized even on Hoseok’s large frame. Hoseok has always been a fan of wearing clothes that are a size or two too big for him, something that hasn’t changed over the years. What has changed, though, is the fact that Kihyun can now steal them whenever he wants to, bundled up and cozy in sweaters that are three sizes too big for him.

“Minhyuk actually took this picture,” Hoseok admits after a stretch of silence where the only noise is Kihyun softly running a finger over the edge of the picture.

That at least explains the blurry quality, because Minhyuk had very quickly been on his way to being completely trashed when Kihyun had gone outside. It’s probably a miracle this picture came out as nicely as it did.

“Did he?”

“Yeah.”

Kihyun can hear the hesitation in Hoseok’s voice at the end of his sentence, like he knows something but is reluctant to share it.

“It’s embarrassing,” Hoseok finally continues, “and I swore to myself that I would never tell you this, but I guess it’s too late now.”

Kihyun can’t help but laugh under his breath because if there’s anything that he’s learning from going through this scrapbook, it’s that they’re both embarrassing, but everyone is. At least Kihyun gets to share his silly side with Hoseok and know that he won’t be judged for it.

“I really debated about putting this in because of the way I got it, and I had originally planned to just keep it to myself, but it’s too nice of a picture to waste.”

Kihyun can agree with that, eyes softening as he looks back down at the page and at the way they’re looking at each other. Kihyun had known it then, but was still in denial over the boy who came into his life and started to show him just how happy he could be, just how loved he could be.

He pokes Hoseok in the thigh to tell him to continue, and Hoseok makes a distressed noise in the back of his throat. “Minhyuk texted it to me a few days after the party with an obnoxious amount of kissing emojis.”

At that, Kihyun raises an eyebrow in question.

Hoseok whines and presses his forehead against Kihyun’s temple, but he isn’t going to get away that easily. “Why did he send kissing emojis?”

“Don’t make me say it,” Hoseok says and he sounds absolutely pitiful. Kihyun would feel bad if he didn’t know that this was just Hoseok’s most used defense mechanism whenever he feels incredibly embarrassed.

“I would never make you say anything,” Kihyun says, and he means it, “but I think this is a case where you just don’t want to tell me because it’s going to show just how much of a softie you are. Not that I don’t already see how soft you are for me everyday.”

Hoseok’s response is another whine, but Kihyun knows that he’s won from the way his whine is more of in defeat than in refusal.

“I already had a really big crush on you, okay? And I was dumb enough to tell Minhyuk, so he was always teasing me about it,” Hoseok says, so quickly that Kihyun almost doesn’t catch it all.

But he does catch it all, and he has the biggest smile on his face as he asks, “Really?”

“You honestly can’t tell me that you didn’t know,” Hoseok says, slightly deadpan.

Kihyun thinks about that stare again, about how he didn’t want to assume anything, but couldn’t help but do it anyways. He thinks about Hoseok’s smile and how close their faces had been, how he had a fleeting thought that Hoseok might kiss him at any moment.

“I might have had a hunch,” Kihyun admits, laughing when Hoseok makes a noise of disbelief. “I swear, I really didn’t know! It was kind of hard to think of anything when you were so close I could kiss you.”

Hoseok looks so sincere as he says, “I wanted to kiss you.”

“I think part of me knew you wanted to, too,” Kihyun says. He frowns. “That’s why I panicked and moved away, I’m sorry.”

Hoseok is shaking his head before Kihyun even finishes his sentence. The kiss he gives Kihyun is more of a reassurance than anything else, and Kihyun absolutely melts into it. “You have absolutely no reason to be sorry. I know you, Kihyun. I might not have known you that well then, but I do now and I hope you never feel like you have to be sorry for doing what you thought was right.”

This time, Kihyun kisses Hoseok, a _thank you_ and an _I love you_ all in one.

Kihyun didn’t, and still to a degree doesn’t, let people in that easily. It’s honestly easier that way, he had thought. If he didn’t let that many people in, then there were less chances for him to get hurt when they left or when they decided that he wasn’t worth keeping around anymore.

It also meant that Kihyun was quite lonely. High school hadn’t been the best time, which is why he had been so adamant about going to a college that was as far away from his hometown as possible. It had still been lonely in the beginning, but then he had met Minhyuk, the first person with good intentions to really try and crack open Kihyun’s shell and push his way in. And with Minhyuk had come Hyungwon, Hyunwoo, and Hoseok.

Unlike Kihyun, Hoseok let _everyone_ in easily. It wasn’t a stretch to say that Hoseok was popular, but that was mainly attributed to that fact that he was just so nice and welcoming. Kihyun remembers thinking that he had never met someone like Hoseok before, but considering all of the jerks he went to high school with, that wasn’t much of an achievement.

It hadn’t been unusual for Hoseok to be smiling and talking with someone whenever Kihyun saw him, and slowly over time, Kihyun started to become one of those people Hoseok smiled and talked with. It had been jarring, and part of Kihyun was so sure that Hoseok wasn’t any different from the people he went to high school with, but Hoseok had nothing but nice things to say, coupled with bright smiles that made Kihyun feel safe instead of on edge.

That’s probably why it had been so easy to let Hoseok in, Kihyun muses. He could tell that Hoseok wasn’t a bad person, and after all, Hoseok did prove time and time again that he was nothing short of serious about Kihyun once they got to that point.

 _Thank you for letting me in_ , Hoseok’s handwriting reads.

Kihyun smiles and kisses Hoseok again. “Thank you for showing me you were worth letting in.”


	2. Continuation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ THIS!!!
> 
> The first flashback has to do with cheating, BUT there is NO actual cheating. However, I know that it can be an uncomfortable topic for some people, so please, /please/ skip the first flashback part if it makes you uncomfortable or you don't want to read it for another reason.

“I’m not going to cry,” Kihyun keeps thinking to himself. It works for a few seconds, but then one tear slips out, and another and another, until there are tiny rivers streaming down his cheeks.

Kihyun chokes on a sob on his next inhale, the sleeves of his sweater getting damp when he rubs his fists against his eyes. He curses through his tears, angry that he let himself get this worked up, angry that he wasn’t able to prevent this from happening, angry that Hoseok hadn’t even told him. More than all of that, though, Kihyun is sad, feels like his heart is beating with only half of it present, the other half clutched in Hoseok’s palm, wherever Hoseok is at the moment.

Stopping himself from crying is harder than Kihyun would like, but it’s just so _hard_ when he keeps thinking about all of the unanswered text messages in his phone and all of the voicemails he has had to leave in the past few weeks. All of the lonely nights where he goes to bed cold under layers of blankets and wakes up with a warm spot next to him, but no Hoseok to fill the warmth out. Even now, curled up on their bed with one of his fluffiest sweaters on, he’s so, so cold.

Cold and alone.

He doesn’t know how long he sits there with his knees pulled up to his chest as he tries and prevents himself from crying. It’s futile anyways, the emotions of the last few weeks finally catching up to him all in one fell swoop. All of the anger from before is gone, the adrenaline from being yelled at and snapping back simmering down to nothing as Kihyun silently cries into his knees.

He wants to be mad at Hoseok more, wants to demand why Hoseok had thought that _Kihyun_ had been in the wrong earlier when he had said it was nice to finally see Hoseok at home. Sure, maybe it had come out harsher than intended, but in the moment, Kihyun had only felt betrayal, the ugly feeling clawing at his insides every day for the past few weeks when Hoseok hadn’t come home before Kihyun fell asleep coming back stronger than ever. Lately, Kihyun would be lucky if he even got a text message telling him Hoseok would be late – most days it was waiting on the couch, the television proving a useless distraction for Kihyun as he thought about every possible thing Hoseok could be doing at that moment.

Kihyun isn’t proud to admit that he had blown up at Hoseok without asking him about what has been going on lately first, but he has been wound tight and Hoseok sneering back at him hadn’t helped in the slightest.

Kihyun honestly isn’t even sure anymore how his one comment ended up in them screaming at each other, faces red as they jabbed at the most painful buttons they could find, knowing just what to say to hurt the other as much as possible. It had all been too much partway through, and Kihyun had started to feel the sting appear behind his eyes and in his chest before he yelled, “Just leave then! Go back to whoever you’re cheating on me with.”

He had only been able to see the way Hoseok’s fury wiped off his face to make way for absolute devastation before he had turned and ran into their bedroom, slamming the door closed behind him.

It hurts Kihyun, hurts him so much to think that Hoseok had been so unhappy with him that he had to go find someone else. Kihyun knows that he can be stubborn sometimes, and he has also nagged at Hoseok to clean up more than a few times, but Kihyun has never felt like things were falling apart. The change had been so abrupt, too, Hoseok suddenly working later and later, his kisses shorter and shorter before he took off through the door to go to work in the morning.

Kihyun only realizes then that he isn’t mad at Hoseok for not telling him, he’s mad at himself for not being enough yet foolishly thinking he was.

Kihyun doesn’t know if he can stay here tonight lest Hoseok comes back and they have to awkwardly shuffle around each other, yet Kihyun can’t bring himself to leave without knowing that Hoseok is safe. He’s lost, both within himself and with what he should do from here. They’ve never fought before, not like this. Before, it was only small things like Hoseok forgetting to do the dishes, or Kihyun accidentally leaving the window open while the air conditioner was on. Nothing serious, nothing like Kihyun accusing Hoseok of _cheating_ on him.

“-hyunnie?”

Wide-eyed, Kihyun looks up from his knees to see Hoseok standing in the doorway, one hand clinging to the doorframe and teeth digging into his lower lip. Even from the bed, Kihyun can tell that Hoseok hasn’t been fairing too well, either, just from his body language alone. He’s honestly a little surprised that Hoseok is still even in the apartment. Had Kihyun been closer to the front door than to their bedroom, he probably would have left out the front door instead. Maybe it’s a good thing he wasn’t. Maybe it’s a good thing Hoseok isn’t him.

Kihyun only realizes that Hoseok is trying to ask or say something when Kihyun sees his lips moving without sound, so wrapped up in his thoughts that he only tunes in towards the end of Hoseok’s question.

“S-sorry, what?” Kihyun stutters out.

The white in Hoseok’s bottom lip around where he’s biting spreads out even more. Inhaling shakily, Hoseok repeats, “Can I come in?”

Not trusting his voice despite the fact that the tears have stopped by now, Kihyun simply nods. He doesn’t mean to flinch when Hoseok takes a step forward, but he does anyways, and he knows that Hoseok had seen it with the way his expression crumbles even more. Hoseok doesn’t stop, though, just slowly pads over until he reaches the bed, gingerly sitting on the edge and as far away from Kihyun as possible.

Despite everything, Kihyun simply wants to curl up in Hoseok’s arms and feel some form of comfort if only for a little while, but he can’t because he’s pretty sure Hoseok wouldn’t want him to.

The quiet is even worse now that they’re both in the same room. At least before when Kihyun was alone with his thoughts, he didn’t expect anyone else to answer him. But now there’s two of them, and it’s a weird feeling, not knowing what to say to Hoseok.

A sniffle breaks the silence and although Hoseok tries and wipes the tears away before Kihyun can see, he’s too slow. It’s miserable, sitting and watching Hoseok cry, knowing that he should be doing something about it, but also realizing that his touch would probably be unwanted. He can’t help but reach out, though, heart clenching when he sees the tears Hoseok doesn’t wipe away fast enough.

Kihyun only realizes what he’s doing when Hoseok looks at his outstretched hand with wet eyes and there’s a heartbreaking second when Kihyun freezes, asking himself why he would be so stupid as to reach out when Hoseok doesn’t want him anymore.

Before he can apologize and curl back into himself, Hoseok moves, fingers coming up to meet Kihyun’s, lacing them so tightly that Kihyun feels as if his hand is being crushed. Inhaling sharply, Kihyun can only stare at their hands and wonder if this is going to be the last time he’ll ever be able to feel this kind of warmth.

“Kihyunnie,” Hoseok whispers, the broken sound piercing right through Kihyun’s heart. 

It’s odd, Kihyun thinks. He’s pretty sure that Hoseok should be angry or at least a little detached all things considering. He just looks miserable instead.

“Hoseok,” Kihyun whispers back. Maybe if Kihyun thinks about something else other than his impending break-up and heartache, it won’t hurt as much when it actually happens.

“I love you.”

Startled, Kihyun looks up at Hoseok, who looks like he’s about to break down again any second. Nothing comes out when Kihyun opens his mouth to respond, but Hoseok continues on anyways.

“It’s going to sound stupid,” Hoseok starts off with. Kihyun couldn’t be any more confused than he currently is. “No matter how many ways I thought of explaining it as I was sitting out there on the couch, they all sounded so stupid in my head. But you need to know the truth, so I told myself that I would have to deal with sounding stupid for the sake of us being on the same page.”

If Kihyun was confused before, he’s definitely confused now. He’s pretty sure this isn’t how a break-up is supposed to be worded, but well, everyone is different, Kihyun supposes.

Hoseok looks like he’s waiting for some type of go-ahead, large, shiny eyes meeting Kihyun’s. Kihyun nods, mentally preparing himself for what’s about to come.

“The other day, I was out walking during my lunch break and came across a jewelry store. I didn’t intend to look that long, since we don’t really have that kind of money to be spending on material things, but it must have been fate or something when I saw these earrings.” Hoseok stops, smiling a watery smile down at the comforter, hand clutching a little tighter for a split second. “They were so pretty, Kihyunnie. I couldn’t stop imagining how much your beauty would bring out how much they shined and so I got this stupid idea in my head that I just had to get them for you. Your birthday isn’t very soon, and neither is Christmas, but once I thought about you wearing them, the only thought I had was that they were going to be yours. And so I worked overtime to try and get them as quickly as possible, but it obviously wasn’t a good plan if you’ve started to feel so unwanted.”

More tears have started to stream down Kihyun’s cheeks at this point, but he can’t help the way Hoseok’s name slips out of his lips. How could he have thought that Hoseok was cheating on him when all he was doing was trying to get Kihyun something special for no reason other than the fact that he wanted to?

“You know I don’t care about things like that, baby,” Kihyun gets out through his tears.

Sniffling, Hoseok squeezes Kihyun’s hand, as if he’s afraid that Kihyun’s going to disappear any second now. “I know, but...they were just so pretty, like little stars that complement how much you shine on a daily basis...I told you that it would sound stupid.”

Except Kihyun is shaking his head before Hoseok even finishes his last sentence. “If anything, I should feel stupid for even doubting you.”

Kihyun wants to add, “And for doubting myself,” but he doesn’t quite think he’s ready to admit that part out loud yet.

Hoseok, though, Hoseok understands Kihyun. “I’m sorry that I made you feel so unloved that you thought I was cheating on you. You’ll always be more than enough for me, Kihyun.”

Kihyun sniffles, once again feeling the sting behind his eyes and the way his breath catches on a sob. “I’m sorry that I thought so lowly of you and assumed you were cheating on me.”

“We’re both at fault,” Hoseok says. He doesn’t say that it’s okay, because it really isn’t when it comes down to it. Kihyun hadn’t trusted Hoseok enough to be truthful with him and Hoseok hadn’t been observant enough to notice something wrong.

They still have so many things to talk about, and Kihyun really needs to sort through his thoughts more and properly tell Hoseok what he’s feeling. But they can get through it, Kihyun knows.

He knows because he’s going to do everything in his power to make it so that it will be okay, that they can build back up to what they were before these last few weeks happened. And looking into Hoseok’s eyes, seeing how they shine with love and burn with determination, Kihyun knows that Hoseok will do the same.

☀☀

Softly, gently, Kihyun thumbs against the picture. If he thinks about it hard enough, he can still feel the sting behind his eyes, can feel the way his chest had caved in when he thought that Hoseok had been unfaithful. The picture is cute, soft even, but Kihyun can still see the puffy bags under his eyes and the light red rims around Hoseok’s.

To say that Kihyun expected to see this picture, or to even see a memory of this picture at all, would be a lie. But to be completely honest, Kihyun had a tiny, miniscule feeling this day would be in here, but he wasn’t sure. It has been years, and though it’s something that Kihyun thinks about every now and again, it isn’t a thought that lingers for too long. They’ve moved past it, they’ve gotten stronger because of it.

And suddenly Kihyun understands why Hoseok put a picture for this. They learned a lot about each other in those following weeks that they never would have otherwise, and although it started off rocky the first few days after everything had been said and done, it got better. Without this moment, they wouldn’t be the same people today. They wouldn’t be as intertwined with each other as they are. They wouldn’t be as in love with each other and as trusting of each other as they are.

Eyes tracing over the picture, Kihyun doesn’t miss a single detail about it. He doesn’t remember it being taken, but that’s obvious due to the fact that he’s sleeping in it, head pillowed on Hoseok’s chest as Hoseok stares down at him with the utmost affection. It’s clear that they were just crying, the splotches of red stark against Kihyun’s skin and the tip of Hoseok’s nose.

_You’re worth it, you’re always worth it._

Lightly, Kihyun rests his head against Hoseok’s shoulder. They don’t say anything, but Hoseok softly thumbing against the very earrings in Kihyun’s ears that he hasn’t take off since Hoseok gifted them to him all of those years ago.

It’s all they need to say.

☀

Groaning and flopping onto the couch, Kihyun refuses to think about the huge stack of boxes scattered throughout every single room just waiting to be unpacked.

It had taken a few days for them to pack up everything into boxes, and now after the longest seven hours of Kihyun’s life, they’re done moving everything into their new house. Moving has always been hard when it was just him moving, but now that it’s Kihyun _and_ Hoseok, that meant double the amount of boxes that had to be moved. Hoseok has been a huge help, and so have their friends, but Kihyun will always be tired from carrying box after box after box.

“Kihyunnie?”

He groans as loudly as he can with a face full of couch fabric. It’s quiet, but Kihyun can just barely pick up the shuffle of Hoseok’s feet against the hardwood as he turns into the living room. Hoseok laughs and Kihyun groans again.

“Nu uh, you aren’t getting out of this that easily.”

Kihyun is suddenly being lifted and he gasps, hands scrambling to grab onto something. He ends up clinging to Hoseok’s shoulders, legs wrapping around Hoseok’s waist and face burying in his neck.

“Don’t scare me like that!” Kihyun chides as he lightly hits Hoseok on the back.

He can feel the vibrations of Hoseok’s laughter from being pressed this close. Kihyun doesn’t appreciate being laughed at.

“Maybe I shouldn’t help you now that you’ve scared me _and_ laughed at me.”

“If you do that, then you’re forfeiting all of the right to put things where you want them.”

Kihyun curses. “I hate it when you’re logical like this.”

Laughing, Hoseok simply pats Kihyun on the butt before lowering him back onto the couch. “At least I was nice enough to tell you instead of just letting you sit here thinking you’ve won while I’m putting my orange sweaters and green shirts next to each other in the closet.”

Kihyun gasps, completely offended that Hoseok would even think about putting those two colors together when they clash so terribly. “You wouldn’t.”

Hoseok simply smiles and that’s enough for Kihyun to know that he’s being completely serious. “Maybe I wouldn’t even fold my clothes before putting them into the dresser, either.”

“That’s anarchy,” Kihyun says, point blank. It causes Hoseok to burst out laughing so hard that tears quickly gather in his eyes.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” Hoseok wheezes. “You know that it would also drive me crazy if my clothes weren’t folded.”

Narrowing his eyes, Kihyun looks Hoseok up and down. “So you’re saying you would still put your orange sweaters next to your green shirts.”

“Maybe,” Hoseok responds innocently, far too innocently for Kihyun’s liking. Logically, he knows that Hoseok maybe owns _one_ orange sweater and _one_ green shirt, but just thinking about the possible color combinations Hoseok can make has him shivering.

“Alright,” Kihyun says as he stands up and takes Hoseok’s hand. “We’re going to go through the boxes in the bedroom first, because I don’t trust you to do it by yourself.”

“You’re so mean, Kihyunnie,” Hoseok says. Kihyun swears he hears both the pout _and_ the amusement in Hoseok’s voice.

“But babe,” Kihyun starts, enjoying the way Hoseok has to inhale sharply at the pet name Kihyun so rarely uses, “just think. We can spend time together and I might even think about giving you kisses for doing a good job.”

“You know I’m weak for kisses,” Hoseok whines.

Kihyun smiles over his shoulder, heart bursting with affection when Hoseok automatically smiles back. “I know, that’s why I said it. But remember, it’s up to my discretion if I think you’ve been a good boy or not.”

Hoseok’s smile slips slightly, eyes darkening before he smiles again like nothing happened. Kihyun knows he got the subtle undertone of his words, not that it was really subtle in the first place.

“Well,” Hoseok says as he shuffles closer to Kihyun, pulling him closer with an arm around Kihyun’s slim waist, “at least the bed is ready to be broken in.”

Smirking slightly, Kihyun replies, “Remember to be a good boy, then.”

Needless to say, they got through the boxes in the bedroom, but that was all of the boxes they unpacked that day, far too interested in each other to continue sorting through stuff.

It takes them three more days before everything is out and the boxes are placed in their recycling bin. Kihyun sometimes still finds himself accidentally hitting his arm on the door frame that leads to the living room because it’s closer than the one in their old apartment, and he can sometimes hear Hoseok opening and closing a few cabinets before finding what he’s looking for, but it’s theirs. Sure, they probably won’t be staying here for the rest of their lives, but this is their first house and there will always be memories attached to it.

Kihyun is on his way back from dropping off the last of the boxes in the trash when Hoseok comes bounding out of the front door with a smile. Something in his hand glints in the light and Kihyun groans once he realizes what it is.

“I’m sweaty right now,” Kihyun complains.

The smile on Hoseok’s face doesn’t dim in the slightest as he stops in front of Kihyun. It’s early in the morning, no later than ten, and the sun shines against Hoseok in a way that should be illegal. Kihyun isn’t really sure if he’s blinded by the sun or by Hoseok, but he figures that since Hoseok is basically the sun to him there isn’t much of a difference anyways.

“It’s okay, you still look beautiful.”

Kihyun fights off the blush that he knows is coming, knowing that if he tried to pass it off as being due to the sun, Hoseok would just smile at him knowingly. In the past, Kihyun didn’t like being called beautiful, much preferring “handsome” or “attractive,” but there’s just something about the way Hoseok says it that makes it seem like the most amazing word in the world. Maybe it’s because he isn’t saying it to be mean and call Kihyun feminine, maybe it’s just because Hoseok says it and looks like he means it with his whole heart each and every single time. Kihyun isn’t sure, but if there’s one thing he’s sure about, it’s that Hoseok never fails to make him melt with his cheesy words and overflowing affection.

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” Kihyun says, even though it totally has before, did just now, and absolutely will in the future.

Hoseok hums. “If you say so, Kihyunnie.”

Kihyun squints at him. “Is that sarcasm I hear?”

Blinking innocently, Hoseok gasps out a very scandalized, “I would never!”

“You asked for it!” Kihyun exclaims as he charges as Hoseok, which causes him to scream and start running.

Kihyun isn’t the most fit person in the world, especially compared to Hoseok, but he can at least run for quite a while if he sets his mind to it. Or, if Hoseok teases him and he’s intent on tickling Hoseok in revenge.

“Come back here!” Kihyun yells, trying to catch up to Hoseok. Their front yard isn’t that large – tiny in general, small at best – so there really aren’t that many places Hoseok can run before he has to turn in another direction. It only takes two turns before Kihyun cuts Hoseok off, wrapping arms around Hoseok’s waist to keep him in one place before tickling his sides. Hoseok shrieks in laughter, body twisting and turning to get out of the line of attack, but he’s weak in this state and Kihyun is merciless. Their laughter fills the morning air, Hoseok wheezing out his surrender within seconds. There’s a pretty flush to Hoseok’s cheeks, his eyes curved up from how hard he had been laughing. Kihyun thinks he’s breathtaking, and doesn’t hesitate to tell him so after kissing him.

He almost misses it, the way that Hoseok lifts up his arm sneakily, phone in hand. Kihyun does notice though, huffing and fixing the flyaway strands of his hair from the run, but it’s useless, his hair sticking right back up after he smooths it down. Kihyun is even sweatier than before and he looks like a hot mess, temples streaked with sweat and cheeks flushed, but there’s no helping the way his lips curl up into a smile when Hoseok puts an arm around his waist, pulls him closer, and smiles so brightly.

“Say cheese!”

And Kihyun can’t help but laugh and say, “Cheese!” as Hoseok takes the picture.

☀☀

They don’t live in the same house anymore, but Kihyun still remembers moving into their first one like it was yesterday. The thrill of finally living alone – of finally living _together_ \- in a place that was theirs and only theirs was indescribable. Nothing will ever compare to the first moment they really realized they were in this for the long haul, that they had taken their first big step towards forever and would make it work.

Some of the things from their first house have managed to find new little corners to hide out in in their current house. The picture frame of them in college during graduation is sitting on the shelf in the living room, proud as they day they took it and the day they framed it. The bed sheets are old, but just as good as when they first bought them years and years ago. They’ve been through quite a few washes and quite a few incidents, but Kihyun always feels a sense of comfort when he comes home and sees their dark red comforter settled on top of their bed. Kihyun’s favorite, though, is probably the cheap, tacky snow globe that Hoseok had brought home one day after visiting his mom for the weekend, Seoul Tower staring right back at Kihyun through the plastic of the globe and also through their window if he looked hard enough.

Other things weren’t so lucky and didn’t make it out of the walls of their first house. Their first coffee maker was a trooper until it just gave out one day as Hoseok was making his morning coffee, leaving a very disgruntled Hoseok and an amused Kihyun.

“Maybe this is a sign that you shouldn’t drink so much coffee,” Kihyun had teased, but Hoseok hadn’t wasted another minute before putting on a pair of pants and leaving, a shiny new coffee maker in his arms when he came back.

Then there was also the time one of their kitchen towels burned because Hoseok had surprise attacked Kihyun in the middle of cooking something. The poor towel had been left to fend for itself against the heat of the stove as Hoseok gave Kihyun kiss after kiss after kiss and hadn’t stood a chance. Luckily, only a corner had been burned, but they still had to replace it, with Hoseok kissing Kihyun as an apology (Kihyun had made sure their new towel was out of harm’s way before letting Hoseok do that).

Even the couch they’re currently reclining against is different than the one from the past, but Kihyun is just happy the things they’ve had to replace are things like furniture and not memorabilia. It’s easy to go out and buy a new towel or appliance, but it’s not so easy to gain back lost memories captured in physical form.

“Do you miss it?” Kihyun wonders, finger light as he traces over the small drawing of their first house in the corner of the page. His lips twitch when he notices the two small figures in front of the house, a phone in one of their hands.

Hoseok hums. “Sometimes. Since it’s the first one, I think it will always be important, but anywhere is memorable as long as I’m with you.”

Fighting back the blush rapidly coming to his cheeks, Kihyun lightly whacks Hoseok on the stomach. He knew he shouldn’t have asked, should have known that Hoseok would say something like that when Kihyun gave him such a wide opening.

Hoseok laughs, the vibrations running up Kihyun’s arm and side from where they’re pressed together. As if he knows what Kihyun is thinking, he says, “You knew I was going to say something like that, yet you asked the question anyways. You don’t need to dig for compliments when I’ll always readily present them to you.”

“I didn’t-” Kihyun tries to argue, but he knows it’s futile. Even if that really wasn’t what he was going for, he wouldn’t have asked if there wasn’t a part of him that had been looking for a compliment or something equally cheesy. “You’re really the worst, do you know that?”

Laughing again, softer this time, Hoseok presses a lingering kiss to Kihyun’s temple. “I don’t know that because you never mean it when you tell me that I am. Although I believe you when you tell me that you love me and when you say that I’m the best boyfriend.”

Making a very loud disgruntled sound, Kihyun tries to push away from Hoseok and maybe go bury his head under the couch cushions, anything that will get him away from Hoseok’s knowing stare. Hoseok doesn’t let him, though, tangling his ankles with Kihyun's and slouching over onto Kihyun more so he isn’t able to get up.

“You really are the worst!” Kihyun exclaims. “Let me hide my embarrassment in peace!”

“What if I just want to keep you in my arms?”

And that’s just not fair, honestly. Hoseok's voice had gone soft, lips inches away from Kihyun’s ear, nose even lighter as it brushes against Kihyun’s cheek.

Kihyun knows that Hoseok would honestly let him go if he really wanted to be free, but even Kihyun can’t lie to himself, and on their anniversary no less, that he loves when Hoseok hugs him or curls around him. Sure, there are times where Hoseok likes to be the little spoon, and Kihyun more than anyone understands the feeling of wanting to be wrapped up in the arms of the person you love, knowing that they’re real, that they’re there, that they aren’t going anywhere.

It takes Kihyun a few seconds, brain lagging due to how close Hoseok is to him, but he eventually manages to say, “That sounds a bit selfish.”

Hoseok doesn’t seem deterred at all, nuzzling against Kihyun’s cheek before leaving little kisses any place he can reach. Kihyun can only feel the press of Hoseok’s lips against his skin and the rapid beating of his heart, everything else filtering down to nothing when he’s with Hoseok like this.

Once Hoseok moves from Kihyun’s neck and back up to his cheek, Kihyun quickly turns to kiss him, laughing when Hoseok lets out a tiny sound of surprise.

“What?” Kihyun wonders. “You can give kisses, but I can’t?”

Hoseok’s eyes widen, shaking his head so frantically that Kihyun has to softly place a hand on his cheek, the tips of his fingers barely reaching the lob of Hoseok’s ear, to stop Hoseok before he hurts himself. Hoseok’s skin is so soft, his lips such a pretty red from all of the kissing, and Kihyun feels so warm. “You know that you can always give me kisses.”

Humming, Kihyun gently runs a thumb over Hoseok’s bottom lip, smiling when he looks up and sees constellations in Hoseok’s eyes. Kihyun doesn’t think he’ll ever get over just how beautiful Hoseok is, in every sense of the word.

He leans forwards, smiling when Hoseok’s eyes automatically slip closed. The ends of Hoseok’s eyelashes are just long enough to brush against the fullness of his cheeks, and his lips curl up at the corners in anticipation.

Originally, Kihyun was going to pull back and tease Hoseok, but he’s so pretty that Kihyun can’t resist. Kihyun isn’t really sure how kissing Hoseok still feels as magical as the first time, heartbeat picking up speed from the soft, short press of their lips. The best part, though, is seeing Hoseok’s eyes flutter open afterwards, a slow reveal of the constellations hidden underneath.

“Let’s just keep kissing and look at the rest of the book later,” Kihyun proposes, only mildly serious. They have the rest of the evening to do whatever they want, and Kihyun knows exactly where it’s going to be going if he knows himself and if he knows Hoseok, so there’s no harm in speeding the process up, especially when Hoseok looks as pretty as he currently does.

Hoseok pouts, though, a whine in his voice as he says, “No Kihyunnie. We have to get through the rest of it, or at least to the next one. I like that one the best.”

It only makes Kihyun more curious. He makes sure Hoseok knows his reluctant acceptance by letting out an exaggerated sigh if only to get Hoseok to laugh. And it does, Hoseok’s face lighting up into Kihyun’s favorite smile.

“This picture better be good,” Kihyun warns jokingly, only to burst out laughing when he turns the page.

☀

“I don’t see why I have to dye all of my hair while you only get to do the tips,” Kihyun huffs, not impressed with his boyfriend at the current moment.

Hoseok only beams towards somewhere near Kihyun’s right shoulder, looking ridiculous with all of the foil hanging around his head and in his eyes. “I think you look really nice with the pink, though. I’m just not sure I would look as good with all-blue hair.”

“But then what was the point in suggesting we do this if you aren’t even going to do the whole thing?”

“Your shade of pink isn’t the same, though, so it isn’t really accurate either way,” Hoseok points out with a shrug. “Besides, I still had to bleach all of my hair, so it’s not like you were the only one who had to do that. Then it would’ve been unfair.”

Kihyun grumbles to himself, hating when Hoseok is right yet still childishly wanting to be upset over the circumstances anyways.

“Don’t be upset, Kihyunnie,” Hoseok sings, beaming at him with eyes completely covered by the foil in his hair. It’s silly enough that a laugh bubbles out of Kihyun, and Hoseok smiles even brighter, probably just happy that Kihyun isn’t muttering about unfairness anymore.

“We’ll see about that,” Kihyun muses. “I still think we should have done your whole head first and then seen if that was good, but if you think you’re going to look good with just a strip of blue on your fringe, then who am I to say anything.”

Kihyun honestly would find Hoseok attractive no matter what he wore or what he did to his hair. And sure, it had taken some convincing and a few long, painful minutes in which Hoseok pouted and pleaded with him to dye their hair together, but Kihyun doesn’t hate his current hair color as much as he previously thought he would. It had never really crossed Kihyun’s mind to dye his hair, but once Hoseok had asked about it, he thought about simple colors, like a dark red or maybe a chestnut brown. Pink was certainly not on the list. It had taken even more pleading from there, and Kihyun knows that if he honestly didn’t want to try it, Hoseok wouldn’t have kept asking him about it. But Kihyun had figured that it wouldn’t take that much effort to dye his hair back to black or dye it another color if the pink had turned out to be hideous or unflattering. Hoseok’s pitiful, pleading expression wasn’t really possible to fight, either.

And in all honesty, Kihyun thinks he looks pretty damn good with his pink hair. It hasn’t been that long since he took out his own foil wrappers and washed his hair out, yet he can’t stop looking at his reflection, getting spooked whenever he sees the shock of pink instead of his usual black.

The timer on Hoseok’s phone beeps out a shrill reminder that the time is up, Kihyun jumping in place before going to turn the alarm off. Hoseok starts wiggling around in his seat with a small smile on his face, and Kihyun can’t help but laugh at how adorably excited he is.

Together, they open up the foil and slowly reveal Hoseok’s new hair. Kihyun almost gasps when he opens the first one and sees just how _blue_ the color is against the stark white of the rest of his hair, but he’s sure that it will fade over time.

It’s definitely...different. Kihyun knows that girls dye the tips of their hair all of the time, but he’s never seen this particular style on a guy before. It’s like a reverse halo with blue instead of white, or Kihyun guesses that it could just be a really big halo with a line of blue on the bottom. He’s a little speechless, brain trying to take the new image in and formulate a response that isn’t, “Well, it’s not awful?”

Hoseok, of course, is the one to break the silence.

“It looks like waves on a sandy beach,” Hoseok says with a laugh as he turns this way and that to see it from all angles.

Kihyun is just so fond above all else. He had liked the full white-silver better, but seeing Hoseok so happy about the new style is enough for Kihyun to not say anything to dampen Hoseok’s spirits. “Sure, whatever you say.”

Hoseok turns a pout up at Kihyun, eyes wide and partially blocked by electric blue hair. “You don’t think so?”

Instead of answering, Kihyun only smiles and kisses Hoseok. “We have to wash your hair out and then dry it, but are you going to be ready to take a picture after that? I know you’re going to ask.”

Laughing his beautiful, full-body laugh, Hoseok admits, “I’m already thinking of poses we can do.”

Rolling his eyes fondly, Kihyun motions for Hoseok to lean over the counter. “Alright, just don’t think of too many while I wash your hair out.”

“No promises!” Hoseok replies, laughing softly as he follows Kihyun’s request.

“We have all day, love,” Kihyun points out. “And if we don’t get through all of your ideas today, we have tomorrow and the days after that. And if even _that_ isn’t enough, we still have some dye left over.”

“Have I ever told you that you’re the best?” Hoseok asks, pure affection in his voice that Kihyun can hear from a mile away.

“Yes, but I don’t mind hearing it again,” Kihyun answers cheekily. “But not now, because you’re about to have water pouring down your face and I don’t want you to drink blue water full of chemicals.”

Dutifully, Hoseok closes his eyes and mimics zipping his lips.

Part of the way through, Hoseok’s leg starts bouncing and Kihyun just knows that he’s bursting with ideas he can’t wait to tell Kihyun about. He’s proven right the second he turns the water off.

“Hey Kihyunnie, can we also take a video on Snapchat? Promise me that you’ll go along with it and say that you’re Rosa when I say that I’m Roy!”

☀☀

“Remember when we dressed up as Team Rocket for Halloween that year?”

Laughing again, Kihyun nods. “Minhyuk was so drunk he kept asking us every few seconds if we would do the introduction.”

Hoseok nods along. “And Changkyun was so drunk he kept saying that there was really nice cotton candy on your head.”

“I forgot about that!” Kihyun exclaims, more laughter spilling out of his lips until his stomach starts hurting.

“I wish I had taken a video of that,” Hoseok says with a pout. “It would have been so funny.”

“Do you still have the video from the day we dyed our hair?” Kihyun can’t help but wonder.

“Of course!” Hoseok says, sounding offended Kihyun would think otherwise. “Hold on a second.”

And so while Kihyun waits, he looks back over the picture, chuckling at the serious look on their faces as they each hold up an arm to make a X-like cross. Distantly, Kihyun wonders if he should dye his hair pink again.

“Where is it?” Hoseok murmurs to himself as he scrolls through his phone. More often than not, Kihyun wonders how Hoseok still has memory left in his phone with all the pictures and videos of them stored on it. He had asked once, but Hoseok had only bopped him on the nose and told him not to worry his pretty head over it.

“Ah!” Hoseok exclaims a few seconds later, a smile blooming on his face as he clicks on the box. Hoseok only has to tip the phone at a slight angle due to how close they’re already sitting, Kihyun hooking his chin on Hoseok’s shoulder as Hoseok presses play.

It’s even more embarrassing than Kihyun remembers, the way that Hoseok chirps, “I’m Roy!” followed by Kihyun fighting a smile as he says, “I’m Rosa!” with a lisp that present-day Kihyun wants to cringe at. They then go and make the cross with their arms, the Hoseok in the video dissolving into laughter not long after. It goes a little blurry, then, Hoseok no doubt having problems holding his laughter in while keeping his arm straight. It ends with Kihyun in mid-laugh, hand out of focus as it goes to wipe at his eyes. 

“I don’t remember being that embarrassed about filming then, but I feel like I should have been after watching this now,” Kihyun admits.

Chuckling, Hoseok replies, “Well you were at first, but since we couldn’t stop laughing long enough to take it properly, this was take number six or something.”

Kihyun makes a noise at that, the memories suddenly coming back to him. “Oh yeah! Our bathroom was so tiny that I hit my elbow during the first take.” It had stung, too, so they weren’t able to try it again until they got ice and Kihyun didn’t feel the incessant tingling in his arm anymore.

“And then the second time, I almost dropped my phone,” Hoseok says. “You were just so cute, I couldn’t stop staring at you.”

“Stop that,” Kihyun mutters, cheeks heating up even after all of this time from the way Hoseok says things like that so casually.

“I’m not wrong,” Hoseok says. He sounds too smug for Kihyun’s liking.

Kihyun makes a grab for the phone to put it and his embarrassment behind, but Hoseok is faster, laughing when Kihyun almost face-plants into his chest from the momentum. Kihyun means to glare up at Hoseok, but their faces are _so_ close and Hoseok looks _so_ beautiful, that Kihyun momentarily forgets what he was even trying to accomplish in the first place.

“Hey,” Hoseok whispers. Kihyun shivers from the way Hoseok’s voice travels through him, closing his eyes in an attempt to gather his bearings and stop getting caught in the stars in Hoseok’s eyes. It’s impossible, Kihyun knows, and it’s not like he would even want to try and escape the pull Hoseok has on him anyways. Kihyun’s very happy to constantly be pulled into Hoseok’s orbit - there’s nowhere else he would rather be.

“Hi,” Kihyun responds, just as quiet.

It shouldn’t be possible, but Hoseok’s eyes seem to shine even brighter in that moment. Not for the first time, Kihyun wonders how it’s possible that Hoseok has so many pretty stars in his eyes, and yet they still don’t compare to Hoseok’s overall beauty.

Hoseok places a quick kiss to Kihyun’s nose. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. Even if you make me do embarrassing things.”

“Hey!” Hoseok cries, breaking the mood so quickly that Kihyun can’t stop the laugh that bubbles out of him. “You weren’t that against it in the end.”

Humming, Kihyun pretends to think about it, but his smile gives him away. “I did end up liking it, but I seem to remember you liking it a lot more than I did. You wouldn’t stop running a hand through my hair every few seconds for the first couple of days.”

Hoseok flushes, a pretty splash of red on his cheeks that Kihyun almost coos at. “I wasn’t that bad,” he mutters with a huff.

“Maybe I should get it done again,” Kihyun teases, if only to see the way Hoseok’s eyes widen in shock at the statement.

“What?” Hoseok squeaks.

“Yeah,” Kihyun continues, trying really hard to fight the smile attempting to take over his face at Hoseok’s expression of terror. “I mean, it _was_ a nice color despite the fact that my scalp felt like it was on fire for the first few days. What do you think?”

“Y-yeah,” Hoseok stutters, the flush on his cheeks getting darker under Kihyun’s teasing gaze. “Sure, if you think that’s a good idea.”

Softly, Kihyun runs a hand through Hoseok’s hair. “Maybe you should, too. I think that magenta would look nice. Or maybe red.”

Damn, that would look nice. Kihyun can already imagine the way the colors would look on Hoseok, can imagine the way they would look as he runs his fingers through before tugging.

There’s an audible hitch in Hoseok’s breathing, probably thinking the same thing Kihyun is currently thinking about. “Maybe. I-I don’t know.”

Any more teasing and Kihyun is sure that Hoseok is going to turn into flames from how red he is, so he decides to stop there. Patting Hoseok’s cheek gently, Kihyun smiles at him. “No rush. You know I love you no matter what color hair you have.”

“I do,” Hoseok says, confident despite the red still staining his pretty cheeks.

“Good,” Kihyun murmurs, looking back down at the book and smiling when he sees the _I’m Roy!_ in Hoseok’s handwriting at the bottom of the page, with just enough space under it for Kihyun to finish it up with _I’m Rosa!_.

☀

“Are you sure this is good enough?”

Kihyun sighs. “Yes, Hoseok, I’m sure. I know that you know how to unwrap chocolate from foil, and I gave you the exact amount I needed.”

“It just doesn’t seem like enough.”

“We’re only going to be making twenty-four cookies,” Kihyun points out. “That’s already quite a lot for the seven of us, no?”

Hoseok’s eyebrows furrow as he thinks, looking down at the now unwrapped chocolate kisses laid out on their counter like they’ll give him the answer he needs. “What about leftovers? And you know how much of a sugar addict Minhyuk can be.”

“Yeah, but you will eat, like, maybe one cookie. Minhyuk can have one of your extras and then Jooheon can have the other. And since Hyungwon always complains about unfair treatment, he can have the extra one that Hyunwoo probably won’t eat just because he feels bad.”

“Okay, Kihyunnie, but if the cookies are just so tasty that I end up eating more than one, and people complain that they’re aren’t enough, I’m going to say that I told you so,” Hoseok sing-songs, totally unrepentant.

“Sure,” Kihyun allows because it isn’t that probable. The last time they had a get-together at Hyunwoo’s house, Kihyun had made thirty-six cookies and they came home with more than twelve. Granted, it was New Year’s and some of their friends were more interested in the alcohol and pretty lights than the food, but Kihyun doesn’t want to be eating a bunch of cookies in the next few days if he can help it. “Can you hand me the bowl of flour, please?”

Hoseok hands the bowl over dutifully, Kihyun thanking him as his eyes scan the recipe. He has never made this kind of cookie before, and he doesn’t really know how it’s going to turn out. Despite Hoseok’s assurances that they’re going to be perfect, Kihyun has less confidence in his baking than his normal cooking.

“Okay, I already added the flour, so now I need the sugar,” Kihyun murmurs to himself.

“Hey Kihyunnie,” Hoseok calls, shocking Kihyun so much that he jumps slightly.

“Ye-” Except he never gets to finish his sentence, now with a face full of flour and ears full of Hoseok laughing happily to himself.

“You’re too tense!” Hoseok exclaims. “Don’t stress so much, okay?”

“Hoseok...”

Kihyun hears Hoseok say, “Oh no” from somewhere to his left, and by the time he has opened his eyes, he only sees the corner of Hoseok’s red and black flannel flowing out behind him as he heads towards the living room.

“Come back here!” Kihyun yells as he takes off after Hoseok.

“No!” Hoseok squeaks, diving behind the couch once Kihyun gets to the living room.

“Come on, babe,” Kihyun says, knowing how much nicknames soften Hoseok up. He’s pleased when he hears Hoseok whine, the one that says Kihyun isn’t playing fair. But, Kihyun never said he was going to, especially not after having flour thrown in his face and while on a mission to tickle Hoseok until his pretty face is red with laughter.

“You’re just going to tickle me,” Hoseok accuses, eyes wide as he follows Kihyun’s movements.

Kihyun only shrugs because there’s no use in lying to Hoseok. He takes a step to the right, which has Hoseok stepping to the right as well, eyes flicking up from Kihyun’s feet to his eyes.

“If you knew I was going to tickle you,” Kihyun starts, taking a quick step to the left that Hoseok mirrors, “then why did you do it?”

Sheepishly, Hoseok says, “It sounded like a good idea at the time?”

“You could have given me a massage or something,” Kihyun points out, faking a move to the left before taking off towards the right. Hoseok shrieks, bolting around the couch and towards the hallway where their bedroom is.

“Gotcha,” Kihyun thinks with a smirk once Hoseok enters their bedroom.

“Kihyun no!” Hoseok yells right before Kihyun tackles him to the bed, the both of them bouncing a little before Kihyun wrestles Hoseok around so he’s sitting on him and tickling him without mercy. Hoseok’s laughter is music to Kihyun’s ears, the sweet sound filling the room to join in with Kihyun’s soft laughter.

It isn’t long until Hoseok is wheezing out, “Truce! Truce!”

Breathing heavily himself, Kihyun takes in the way Hoseok’s cheeks are so flushed, chest rising and falling underneath Kihyun, the pretty smile on Hoseok’s face despite everything.

“I don’t know,” Kihyun muses, lifting his hands up again just to see Hoseok wiggle around. “Are you sure you should be let off that easily?”

“Yes!” Hoseok gasps out, a laugh automatically escaping his lips when Kihyun pokes his side.

“But you wasted perfectly good flour. And got my face all dirty,” Kihyun points out.

Hoseok pouts up at him with wide, pleading eyes, and _damn it_ he isn’t playing fair either. “I was just trying to help.”

Before he can say anything else, Kihyun ends up just staring down at Hoseok, completely mesmerized with how beautiful he is. This isn’t an unfamiliar position for Kihyun to be in, per se, but this is one of the rare times where Kihyun can actually look over all of Hoseok’s delicate features, have fingers softly run over the muscles in Hoseok’s chest as he works his way up to cup Hoseok’s cheeks.

“I was supposed to be more mad at you,” Kihyun murmurs, thumb light against Hoseok’s cheek. Hoseok’s eyes are wide, glossy, and so, so pretty. “But you’re just so pretty I got distracted.”

Whining, Hoseok tries to bring a hand up to cover his face, but Kihyun only laughs softly and moves Hoseok’s hand away. He’ll never get tired of the way Hoseok’s cheeks darken when he’s embarrassed or has Kihyun’s completely undivided attention. It’s only fair, considering how often it happens to Kihyun when Hoseok looks at him in the exact same way.

It doesn’t take long for Hoseok to dissolve into giggles like he always does when he’s incredibly embarrassed, his body shaking so much that Kihyun almost falls off of him.

Despite his laughter, though, Hoseok catches Kihyun before he falls just like he always does, hands warm around Kihyun’s hips.

“Thanks,” Kihyun says. “But I’m still mad at you.”

The absolute shock on Hoseok’s face is enough for Kihyun to burst into more laughter, and this time, he _does_ tumble over and onto the bed next to Hoseok. The next thing he knows, there are fingers running over this ribs, and Kihyun gasps when Hoseok starts tickling him in earnest. “No, don’t!”

“Too late!” Hoseok cheers, ruthless as he presses all of the right spots to get Kihyun laughing so hard his stomach starts to cramp up. His attempts to push Hoseok away are weak at best, tears starting to gather the longer Hoseok keeps it up.

“Okay!” Kihyun gasps out. “Okay!”

Hoseok is once again breathing heavily, and although the position has changed from earlier so that Hoseok is on top of Kihyun’s thighs this time, this one is no less familiar than the previous one.

“Are you still mad at me?” Hoseok questions with such sincerity in his eyes that Kihyun melts just a little bit.

“I was never really mad,” Kihyun admits. “I just needed an excuse to stop baking for a while and maybe sneak a few kisses in.”

“Sneaky,” Hoseok says, although he shakes his head after he says it. “You could have just asked for a kiss, you know.”

“Yeah,” Kihyun says, lips twitching with how Hoseok is going to react to his next statement. “But then I wouldn’t have had the chance to have you panting under me, and that’s always a nice sight.”

Hoseok’s mouth drops open into the perfect little circle, Kihyun chuckling to himself when he notices that Hoseok’s cheeks are starting to turn as red as his oversized sweater.

Looking away, Hoseok mutters something, but Kihyun can’t hear it. “Sorry?”

This time Hoseok looks Kihyun right in the eyes. It’s obvious he’s still embarrassed, and Kihyun has always found it adorable when Hoseok is shy like this because it doesn’t happen that often. “I said that you could have just asked for that, too.”

Kihyun closes his eyes and takes a deep breath because he won’t be able to pick his brain out of the gutter otherwise. Hoseok is still sitting on top of Kihyun’s thighs, and if Kihyun thinks about this any longer, about the way Hoseok’s thighs are flexing trying to keep himself upright, about the way Hoseok looks beautiful with his mused hair and red lips, the cookies will never get done.

Hoseok is sin wrapped up in an angel’s body and it’s unfair how distracting he is.

“Good to know,” Kihyun finally manages to say, voice pitched lower than it normally is. “How about we finish these cookies first? If you help me, they’ll probably be done faster.”

There’s a familiar glint to Hoseok’s eyes that Kihyun absolutely loves to see. “Deal.”

Smirking, Kihyun pats Hoseok on the butt as he moves to get off the bed, eyes darkening when Hoseok’s breathing hitches.

“Hey,” Hoseok calls once they’re back in the kitchen, lips a little redder and puffier than a few minutes prior. “Should we take a picture now or later?”

Raising an eyebrow, Kihyun says, “Well I always had a feeling you were the type who liked to keep nudes on your phone with how often you take pictures of us, but now is probably better than later. Who knows who will go through your phone one day.”

Hoseok doesn’t deny the accusation, simply heads over towards the bowl of flour and asks, “Can I put more on your face?”

☀☀

“I still can’t believe you smeared more flour on my cheek just so we could take this picture.”

“Are you sure about that?”

Kihyun looks up to see Hoseok staring at him with raised eyebrows and, alright, yeah, Kihyun _can_ believe it. Hoseok has always loved capturing specific moments, and the selca of them in the kitchen, a streak of flour on Kihyun’s cheek as he gives bedroom eyes towards a beaming Hoseok, is a better representation of that day than the alternative. He distinctly remembers how absolutely wrecked Hoseok looked that night after they finished the cookies and what they started hours previously, but he _also_ remembers exactly where they stored that other picture on their external hard drive.

“Alright, so I can believe it. But what’s even more hard to believe is the fact that the cookies turned out well.”

Given how much they were staring at each other, it’s a miracle those cookies had the right amount of everything they needed. It was a close call a few times on if the cookies would actually get done or not, but they miraculously made it through.

Hoseok looks smug and Kihyun knows it isn’t because he’s thinking of what happened after they left the cookies to cool off. He knows what Hoseok is going to say, so he sighs and says, “Just say it.”

“It’s no fun if you already know it’s coming,” Hoseok says, a little put-out, smugness now replaced with disappointment.

With a shrug, Kihyun replies, “Well you _did_ constantly remind me of how popular the cookies were for weeks after the party. Also considering how that party was two months ago, it’s not that hard to remember.”

“You’re no fun,” Hoseok says. Kihyun knows without even looking that Hoseok is pouting, and he laughs lightly.

Looking away from the little cookies drawn around the page, Kihyun kisses Hoseok on the cheek. “Sorry, love.”

“It’s okay,” Hoseok replies almost instantly, a dazed quality to his voice, no doubt due to the nickname Kihyun had tacked on.

Kihyun can’t help but kiss Hoseok’s cheek again, so incredibly fond. Going through this book has really shown Kihyun just how much he means to Hoseok, and although he knew that before (Hoseok has never let Kihyun forget, that adorably sappy man), it’s different seeing it so plainly put out to see like this. Of course Kihyun always believes Hoseok when he says he loves Kihyun, and of course Kihyun means it when he says that he loves Hoseok back. There’s just something so beautiful in seeing their life together in the form of pictures of all of the little things over the years that would otherwise just be a blink in Kihyun’s memory.

When Kihyun picks up the next page to turn it, it feels skinnier than the previous pages. He only finds out why when the next two pages are blank, plain white staring up at Kihyun instead of the pastel colors Kihyun has become used to.

Hoseok is biting his lip when Kihyun looks up at him in confusion. His eyes keep shifting, fingers tapping a quick beat on Kihyun’s shoulder before the warmth of Hoseok’s arm leaves.

“Hoseok?” Kihyun asks when Hoseok still won’t meet his eyes. He doesn’t understand what has gotten Hoseok so fidgety all of a sudden, especially over a few blank pages.

Breathing in deeply, Hoseok slowly lets it out before meeting Kihyun’s eyes. It has gotten darker in the time that they’ve been in this blanket fort, but Kihyun is still able to see the way Hoseok’s eyes sparkle. “There are more blank pages after these because our story will never end. But I’m ready to add another page right now.”

Hoseok starts to rummage behind him and Kihyun assumes it’s his phone so they can take a new picture for their anniversary and put it in the next page. It only makes sense, since there’s about to be a lot less light for a nice picture under this blanket fort and the scrapbook is already in Kihyun’s lap. Kihyun is already starting to think of something to write down on the page when Hoseok turns back around, hands clasped together. It clearly isn’t his phone, but Kihyun can’t fathom what else it would be, unless Hoseok is going to be cheesy and make to pull a heart out of his pocket like he’s seen so many idols do on television.

Except it isn’t a heart, but a box, and Kihyun feels his heart skip a few beats in a row, eyes widening as he looks up from Hoseok’s hands, to his face, and back to his hands.

The black velvet box is small in Hoseok’s palm, innocuous as it sits and trembles in Hoseok’s hand like the sight of it isn’t taking Kihyun’s breath away.

Kihyun can’t move, afraid that the box will disappear if he so much as moves a centimeter. Thankfully, Hoseok moves, fingers shaking as he pops the top of the box open. Kihyun gasps when he sees the silver band snug in the cushion, glinting in the soft orange light that filters through the blankets.

“I, um,” Hoseok starts, Kihyun’s eyes flickering up from the ring to Hoseok’s face. “I’ve thought about so many ways this would happen, so many scenarios in so many places and they were always were more romantic than this. But I eventually realized that we didn’t need something elaborate, especially after how much we both hated that one time a few anniversaries ago when we went to that fancy restaurant.”

Kihyun laughs at that, reaching out and smiling when Hoseok laces their fingers together. Hoseok’s knuckles are soft when they brush against Kihyun’s cheek, then wet when he pulls the hand laced with Kihyun’s away from Kihyun's face.

“Just being with you is enough,” Hoseok continues, his voice trembling a little. “I love you, Kihyun, and I would love if you would spend the rest of your life with me. So, will you marry me?”

In his mind, Kihyun sees the page of them in the front yard of their first house and can’t help but think that home is wherever Hoseok is.

Hoseok is the person who has seen every one of Kihyun’s sides. Hoseok is the sun that radiates warmth when Kihyun is sad. Hoseok is the hand that offers comfort when Kihyun is upset. Hoseok is the soft blanket that curls around Kihyun when Kihyun is cold. Hoseok is the breeze that blows by and calms Kihyun when he’s run ragged at work. Hoseok is the reason he’s happy and Hoseok is the reason he’s never sad.

Hoseok is his friend, his boyfriend, his lover. Hoseok is everything that Kihyun could have ever asked for.

“Yes,” Kihyun chokes out, feeling so overwhelmed with emotion, more tears streaming down his face despite Hoseok’s efforts to stop them. “Yes, of course I will.”

The weight of the new band on his finger is heavy, but Kihyun knows that it won’t take that long to get used to it. If anything, he’s certain that there’s going to be a time where he’s not even going to know it’s there at all.

Hoseok breaks him out of his thoughts, gently cupping Kihyun’s face in his hands and simply staring at him.

“You’re so beautiful,” Hoseok breathes, reverent almost. Kihyun can see the tears starting to gather in Hoseok’s eyes, his own vision getting slightly blurry because this man in front of him, this man who makes him so incredibly happy, is going to be his _husband_ one day.

The kiss they share isn’t rushed, Kihyun feeling so safe and loved in Hoseok’s hold and in Hoseok’s heart. Hoseok’s lips are slightly chapped from how cold it has gotten, but his hands are warm and his love makes Kihyun even warmer.

“Sorry that all I have to offer you this anniversary is a box of slightly melted cupcakes,” Kihyun says a little while later, the both of them still sitting against the couch, Hoseok with an arm around Kihyun’s shoulders as Kihyun leans against him.

Hoseok looks up from playing with Kihyun’s left hand where the new ring is heavy and bright and beautiful. His eyes are bright, and Kihyun swears that he hasn’t seen Hoseok’s eyes shine so beautifully and for so long as much as he has today. “Oh yeah!”

“Oh now you’re happy,” Kihyun says in amusement. “You didn’t say anything when I came home and the poor things were completely discarded in favor of looking through our scrapbook. I waited in line for _seven_ minutes to pick these up today.”

Hoseok only smiles softly and says, “I was too busy admiring how beautiful you are to notice. Sorry.”

Kihyun had been prepared to milk the situation for what it was worth, maybe get a few apology kisses, but now he’s speechless. He can practically feel the way his cheeks go from cold to blazing hot. It isn’t fair, the way that Hoseok can still say things like that and get Kihyun’s heart racing as if it was their first date all over again.

“You sap,” Kihyun says with a light swat at Hoseok that he doesn’t really mean.

“You love it,” Hoseok replies without missing a beat, and Kihyun wishes that he wasn’t right. Hoseok doesn’t ever need an excuse to turn Kihyun into a blushing mess, but Kihyun always turns so soft whenever Hoseok is like this. He isn’t complaining, though, not at all. If there’s one thing in this world that Kihyun adores the most, it’s seeing how happy Hoseok gets when he has successfully gotten Kihyun’s cheeks to turn a pretty red. A happy Hoseok is Kihyun’s favorite kind of Hoseok, and if it feels like his cheeks are warm enough to melt a whole bucket of ice, then so be it, as long as Kihyun gets to see Hoseok’s pretty eye smile.

It’s quiet between the two of them, kisses exchanged every few seconds because they’ve never been able to stay away from each other for long. Kihyun can’t stop thumbing over the band on his finger, heart skipping a beat when he thinks about the future and all of the wonderful things it will hold for them.

Hoseok nuzzles against Kihyun’s cheek to get his attention, pulling away with a smile when Kihyun turns towards him. “Thank you for agreeing to go on that date with me, Kihyunnie.”

Kihyun smiles, heart full of so much love. “Thank you for asking me.”

This is perfect. They don’t need some fancy dinner and they don’t need extravagant gifts. Here, in this blanket fort as they eat slightly melted cupcakes and go through their memories together, this is all they need.

The blanket above Kihyun’s head suddenly drops into his eyes, obscuring his vision and he blinks in confusion before dissolving into laughter. Hoseok is laughing as well as he pulls the corner of the blanket away from Kihyun’s face, leaning in for a kiss. They fall into each other as they always do, perfect and happy and so incredibly in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In Korea, Team Rocket isn’t Jessie and James, but Rosa and Roy. Both Hoseok and Kihyun called themselves these names during Fighter era haha ^^”
> 
> There were also more pages in this hypothetical scrapbook than what I wrote about because Hoseok is a sap, but I didn’t think that writing about 30+ scenes was practical lol.
> 
> I'm sorry this took so long to finish (this is why I never post things without finishing them istg), but it's here now!! Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, and a general Happy Holidays to everyone!
> 
> Please come say hi to me on Twitter @snshineprinceki!! ^^


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